Celebration turned to tragedy for the city of Kansas City on Thursday as a parade celebrating the Chiefs’ second straight Super Bowl victory ended with a mass shooting. The hosts of Fox Sports 1 studio show First Things First were on the scene broadcasting live, with KC native and host Nick Wright there to soak in his team’s big win. But about 15 minutes into the broadcast, First Things First went off air as attendees were forced to take cover with the threat of a shooter downtown.
Back in their New York studio on Thursday, Wright and his cohosts Kevin Wildes and Chris Broussard offered their retelling of the tragic events after the parade and their perspectives on the day.
Wright told the story of meeting an older Chiefs fan who embraced him in the hotel after they returned to safety, and what she told him.
“She said she was there with her kids and grandkids, and her 14-year-old granddaughter had to take the lead because she’s been trained for this, and the adults hadn’t,” Wright explained. “And I cried. And I cried because it’s so god-dog cruel what we’ve taken from this generation of kids.”
Nick Wright discusses the mass shooting in his hometown of Kansas City yesterday at the Super Bowl parade, where 'First Things First' was broadcasting live pic.twitter.com/0k4vgRJN1z
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 15, 2024
Wildes discussed the difficulty of coming to terms with surviving the incident when one woman died and many, including nine children, were shot.
“We were very lucky, and I have a hard time grappling with that,” Wildes said.
Wildes then shared his own story of the moment when the magnitude of the moment hit him.
As he walked back to the hotel with security, Wildes noticed a young boy scrambling away near them.
“And I was like, ‘This is not fair,'” Wildes said. “I just got mad that this moment was stolen from him.”
Kevin Wildes offers a touching recounting of the way the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade went from joy to tragedy pic.twitter.com/sSAnND6W4n
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 15, 2024
At the same time, there was a death and many injuries. But Wildes seemed to be saying that the fact of considering oneself lucky to survive what was and should have stayed a euphoric day is impossible to sit with.
Broussard emphasized how Kansas City should be defined by what happened on Wednesday. He also reminded viewers that celebration parades have become dangerous in this country. And he offered prayers for recovery of the victims.
While the First Things First hosts were not in direct danger during the shooting, their perspectives provide context for the remarkable and tragic collision of emotions that hit Kansas City this week.
